A Moment, A Love
by CreativityInACage
Summary: One thing stands between Shepard and Tali's relationship, and it's much more dangerous that the Reapers-Miranda Lawson. All she can think of is why he left her, and how to get him back. And then there's that little matter of Galactic destruction.
1. Suicide Mission

**Just an idea that popped up while i was trying to update my other fic.**

**I didn't want to focus on the Suicide Mission too much as we already know what happens, so I skipped around. Hope that's alright. Enjoy!**

* * *

"We'll be reaching the relay in fifteen minutes Commander." Joker's voice echoed through Shepard's quarters, silent and still save for the two figures lying on the bed.

"Roger that, Joker. I'll be up." Jack Shepard turned to his side, where an alien face watched him avidly.

"You should get suited up." He murmured, stroking the slender face of Tali'Zorah vas Normandy. He smiled at the last thought. Vas Normandy.

"Same goes for you." She whispered, slipping out of the covers and fitting herself with the suit lying on the ground. Shepard walked to his locker, and stared at the suit of N7 armor that he'd put on countless times before now. The past hour had been the best of his life- but the foreboding feeling of the mission before them slowly began to creep up his limbs. With slightly trembling hands he fitted himself in the dark armor still spotless and flawless, despite being thrust in a rain of bullets nearly every day.

Still staring at his hazy reflection, two slight arms suddenly wrapped themselves around his waist. "We'll get through this Shepard."

He gently turned around, once again looking into a masked face. He felt a twinge of sadness looking at her this way. Unable to speak, he merely nodded.

"I'll be in the engine room. Last minute calculations." Tali said, and with that, she slid away, leaving Shepard alone.

* * *

Shepard stood behind Joker as they inched closer to the Omega-4 Relay. The rest of the crew stood behind him, all of them silent.

"ETA?"

"Three minutes." Joker replied, his eyes moving frantically over the ship's statistics. Shepard turned around.

"Alright team, this is it." His eyes moved over the crowd- Miranda, Jacob, Garrus, Thane, Samara, Legion, Jack, Grunt, Mordin, resting for a few seconds on Tali. "We don't know what's going to be there once we go through the relay, so we best be prepared. Garrus, go man the main guns. Tali, keep on the shields. Jacob, I want you to watch the armor. If anything is off the slightest bit, I want to know. The rest of you, make sure you're prepared. This is the most difficult thing you will do in your life." He swallowed. "But we all have each other's backs. Clear?"

The crew nodded, and Garrus, Tali, and Jacob went to their stations. "Joker, we good?"

"So far, so good."

Shepard nodded in approval. "I'll be here."

* * *

For the era they were in, space travel was nothing new. An average person may make several in a lifetime, and the galaxy was no longer a mystery. But it never ceased to amaze Shepard- the sheer size of the universe, so many planets and stars, so many races and people. Back in the twentieth century, the term 'culturally diverse' just meant people with different shades of brown in their skin. Now it ranged from Humans, Asari, Turian, Quarian, Krogan, Salarian, and so on.

These thoughts came back to him as they passed the relay. Besides the fear churning in the pit of his stomach, it was like passing through a normal relay- the slight jump of the ship slightly throwing him off balance, the systems beeping to assure everyone that everything was in check.

Then Shepard looked out the shutters. Debris floated everywhere, empty shells of ships long forgotten, a dim light slowly illuminating the mysterious place beyond the relay. An entire new world never before seen by a living eye. But the stillness was soon interrupted- the automated defense systems the Collectors had put up sensed their presence.

"Tali, get ready." Shepard spoke into his intercom.

"Affirmative Shepard. Shields are up."

The firing had already begun. The ship was rocked with the shear impact of the collector beams. Joker systematically geared the ship to the left, trying to avoid the beams while putting the main guns in position.

"Tali, status report!" Shepard yelled amongst the din of the attack. Silence came from the other end, and his heart nearly came up his throat. "Tali!"

Like a godsend, her voice came through. "We're good, Shepard. They held up fine. As long as the armor holds up as well, we can use the Thanix to take them down."

"Looks like those upgrades were worth it," Shepard murmured. "Jacob, be careful down there. They're gonna hit again."

"Roger," Came the reply. "Everything all right up there?"

"Fine," Shepard said shortly. "Garrus, get the Thanix warmed up. We're gonna need it soon."

"On it." Garrus replied. Shepard could hear the hum of the cannon beginning to heat up through Garrus's intercom. Dear God, he thought, please let us make it. We've come to far to be taken down.

The beams hit them again, but without the shields to absorb the impact, the ship nearly flipped upside down. Several of the monitors near the CIC exploded, and Shepard nearly fell on top of EDI's terminal.

There was a moment of stillness when the attack stopped, but only for a split second. Garrus acted brilliantly- in that moment the Thanix attacked with an equally damaging blast. The explosion was deafening- it blew the other vessel nearly in half.

"The engine is overheating. We need to land soon or the ship might be permanently damaged." Tali spoke up.

"Joker?" Shepard's voice was desperate.

"Working on it Commander," He replied, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. "Better get the team ready."

"I want the whole crew to assemble in the Com room." Shepard said. "I'll be there in two minutes."

"A lot of the systems are fried Commander. The only way we have even the slightest chance of getting out is if we crash land."

He swore under his breath. "Do what you gotta do Joker."

* * *

The crash landing didn't go horribly- at least they were all alive. Now they had to figure out how to storm the building. All they knew as of now was that they needed two teams and a tech specialist to go through the vents before they could plan how to go in deeper.

Shepard swallowed before he spoke. "Tali…you go through the vents." He said as he exhaled.

"Of course Commander." She replied, hitting her Omni-tool. Jack wondered if he was making a mistake, but she was arguably the best Tech they had.

"Miranda, lead the first team. Take Grunt, Jack, and Samara with you. You'll need as much force as you can get." He turned to Garrus. "Garrus, you, Legion, and Thane will provide sniper cover. Miranda's team will clear the way for you. Jacob and Mordin will come with me. Go as fast as you can; we can't afford to waste a single second. Clear?"

A chorus of voices echoed Shepard's.

"Then let's go." he said, holstering his pistol.

* * *

The entire battle was a blur. All Shepard could remember was a haze of gunshots, racing against time so the vents Tali was in wouldn't overheat, yelling commands over his communication unit, cringing as he heard sickening cracks and explosions, praying they weren't on his side.

But all of it was worth it when he got his crew back. Kelly, Chakwas, Kenneth, even Gardner- all of them were safe.

* * *

"A timed radiation pulse. It would get rid of all of the remaining Collectors, but the station would remain intact."

After the most brutal fight of his life, defeating a half-reaper for Christ's sake, the best reward would be to see this goddamned station blown to hell. But no, The Illusive Man had his own opinion about it. Shepard rubbed his temple in frustration, Tali and Miranda silently listening behind him after he switched squad members.

"Do it, Shepard. For humanity."

"No." Shepard couldn't believe it was his voice that came out.

"Shepard, try and under-"

"You've done nothing but keep secrets and exploit me. How do I know you're intentions behind this are really 'for humanity'?"

"Would I want anything else? Think Shepard, this isn't the hardest choice you've ever made!"

Kaidan's face flashed through his mind. A dead man's face. "No. I'm blowing this station to hell and beyond."

"Miranda! Do something about this!"

Miranda looked at Shepard uncertainly. "We should keep our relationship professional," he once told her, and like a fool she'd believed him. Only to find he'd gotten less than professional with Tali.

Despite that, she still had feelings for him. "Consider this my resignation." She said, her head held high. She glanced at Shepard, who nodded in silent thanks, and cut the connection.

Shepard set the bomb, which promptly began counting down, and looked at his two squad members, smiling.

"Run."

* * *

**Woo Chapter one! The next one will be better for surely. Of course, you could always make it EPICLY better by reviewing...**


	2. Whiskey

**Chapter two! Woot! I'll be cycling chapters focusing on Miranda and Tali. It'll be like, two chapters Miranda, two Tali, two Miranda, two Tali, and so on, with Shepard thrown in there. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Three people in surgery. Nearly everyone injured to some extent, and mentally? Crazy was beginning to become a norm on this ship. Shepard tiredly removed his armor, his skin finally breathing the stale air of the Normandy after being pushed and pulled out of bullet storms, the words of the Illusive man running through his head. They didn't just have an ancient race of elite machines after them, but an entire agency as well. Great.

Shepard fell onto the bed, every muscle aching in pain. The bottle of whiskey on his bedside table stared at him enticingly. No, Shepard thought. Not today. I can handle this.

The bottle begged to be emptied, just a bit. Already hazy, Shepard's thoughts circled in his head. No. Yes. No. Yes. Just a mouthful or two, what was the big deal?

The big deal was that he swore it off years ago, two years dead not counting. But he had Ashley back then.

But then again, he had Tali now. Goddammit.

He grabbed the bottle, and took a swig. Then another.

The smooth exterior of the bottle glinted in the dim light, it's seductive curves begged to be caressed and held. He looked at it almost endearingly, unable to resist the sweet oblivion it brought his mind to.

It reminded him of a woman he knew.

* * *

Miranda Lawson slowly downed the shot of whiskey on her desk, just to take the edge of the throbbing pain in her shoulder, now wrapped in bandages. She was dressed in casual clothes, finally taking off that god damned skank outfit that she could barely breathe in. She wasn't Cerberus anymore, so she shouldn't wear the uniform right?

She set the glass on her desk again, typing quickly at her console. No doubt the Illusive Man was trying to bug the servers as she thought. She would get Legion and Tali to try and reprogram EDI- otherwise, she would have to be scrapped. Bad news for Joker.

Miranda stared at the console, frowning. Half the data they had on the reapers had been erased. It was a message from the Illusive Man- come back, or you lose everything you have. Miranda spoke into her Com unit.

"Gabby? Where's Tali?"

"She's up and ready, ma'am. Fixed up her suit punctures and already working on fixing the engines." The engineer said proudly. God, everyone loved that Quarian a little too much.

"Send her to my office please." Miranda said sourly.

"Right away."

Miranda continued to try and set up security around the Normandy's servers while she waited for Tali to come up. She glanced up as the door opened.

"Tali." Miranda acknowledged.

"You needed me?" Straight to the point. Tali couldn't take chances with this one. She had gotten too close the Shepard before, and couldn't let it happen again.

Miranda narrowed her eyes at her before turning the console to her. "The Illusive Man is stealing caches of information from the Normandy's servers as we speak. I need you to set up firewalls, anything to secure the systems. Once we reach Ilium or the Citadel for repairs, I'll have the entire system replaced. For now, please do what you can."

Tali nodded. "I'm on it"

Miranda rose from her chair and motioned for Tali to sit on it. "I'll be checking on the crew in the meantime."

Tali hoped that by 'crew' she didn't mean 'Shepard'.

* * *

"Miranda."

Miranda looked up from the numerous data pads scattered around her in the com room to the serious face of Jacob Taylor.

"Jacob, what can I do for you?" Please leave, leave soon Jacob, she prayed.

"It was a tough fight out there."

No, Captain Obvious, it was like taking chickens down with chainsaws. "We made it though. And there's still more fights to be had." Miranda managed a plastic smile for her teammate.

He nodded, looked down at the floor, and slowly began pacing. Oh no. She knew what this meant. "It's just, it got me thinking, and…"

Miranda inwardly cringed. "And what Jacob?"

"Well, I just wanted to-

"Miranda, those security walls you wanted me to put up are done. You can come back to your office now." Tali's voice crackled over the speaker.

Miranda could have honestly hugged Tali. "That's my call Jacob. I'll see you tomorrow." Miranda walked slightly quicker than normal to the elevator which would take her to the sanctuary of her office.

Jacob Taylor merely smiled. "One day I'll get you Miranda, mark my words." He said to the empty room, and walked back to the armory.

* * *

_Jacob ran, the gas canister and data pad in his sweaty hands. The Batarians were still looking for him, and the Cerberus ship was long gone. And he knew Cerberus- they weren't going to waste their time for one lone agent. The data on the data pad had probably already been uploaded. His only chance was to take one of the Batarian ships to the nearby port of Omega and contact Cerberus from there._

"_I think I saw something move there." The guttural, rough voice of a Batarian came from behind the rock Jacob was leaning against. Dammit._

_Jacob took the gas canister, and pulled the pin out. He set it on the ground, and ran._

"_Hey! It's-" But before the Batarian could finish the sentence, the gas had smothered his lungs. Jacob began running again, already tired from spending the entire day playing hide and seek with the mercenaries._

_He arrived at a cliff, the drop beneath probably seventy or eighty feet high. There was nowhere else to go._

_Think, Jacob, think._

* * *

_Shit. She'd forgotten to upload the data. A mistake. She couldn't make mistakes now, could she? She slammed her fist on the desk._

"_Operative Jason, please turn back to the Mercenary base. We need to pick up Jacob."_

_The pilot raised an eye. "That's against protocol ma'am."_

_She grimaced. "No it's not. He has a data pad with him that's vital to our mission."_

_The pilot slowly turned the dial so that the ship began to turn around. "Pardon me for asking, but wasn't that supposed to be uploaded with your Omni-tool?"_

"_There was a virus," Miranda lied. "If I uploaded it, it may have corrupted other files or sent our information back to the base. That's why we need the hard copy."_

_The pilot hesitated, but believed her story. After all, she was his superior. He pulled on the thrust lever and the ship began to turn back to the base._

* * *

_There was no other way. He had to jump. It was either that or die from a bullet to the head. Looking back once more, he heard the shuffling of footsteps in the distance. He took a deep breath, and braced himself._

_But before he jumped, he heard the unmistakable sound of the Cerberus ship's machine turrets overhead. Looking up, he saw the ship stalling just above him. Jason was manning the turrets, and Miranda throwing down a rappel._

_Miranda._

_She came back for him._

_He stared, unable to believe it. Just seconds ago he was going to die. And like some dark haired angel she came to save him. _

_At that moment, he fell in love with her._

* * *

"_You came back for me when you didn't have to. That means there's something there Miranda!" Jacob yelled._

"_Jacob…" Miranda was at a loss for words. She'd never found herself in a situation like this. A part of her wanted this- she'd never had a relationship before. But another part of her cringed. Because the truth was that she came back for him when she _had _to. _

_"Miranda." His eyes burned into hers._

"_Sorry." She said, and accepted the feeling of his warm lips on hers._

_

* * *

_

**So whaddaya think? The review button's right there...**


	3. Cliffs

**Sorry for the shortness, school starts tomorow and I'm really nervous D:**

**So to celebrate the death of my summer, I decided to celebrate this chapter with the death of Tali!**

**Loljk.**

**No one dies. Enjoy!**

* * *

The great stretch of space was disturbed by the Normandy, quickly sliding across an invisible expanse to the Citadel. Burnt, bruised, broken, she was more beautiful than ever, dressed in the aura of victory and determination.

So thought Tali'Zorah vas Normandy as she looked out from the Citadel into the never-ending void of stars. She'd been sent there to prepare the materials needed for repair while Shepard and the crew frantically rushed around the ship trying to get it just far enough to be fixed.

Turning around, the Quarian tapped her Omni-tool a few times before going down to where the ships landed in, motioning to four Turians to follow her, each carrying a crate.

Hurrying down the stairs, she could hear Shepard arguing with the C-Sec officers before her foot even hit the landing. _Same old Shepard,_ She thought while inwardly grinning. She had to admit Cerberus had done a good job with him- Same face, same morals, same ethics- even the same temper. Like a volcano, he'd blow up in one second than cool down immediately. She couldn't blame him, especially all he'd gone through.

"You don't understand, I have clearance-

"I'm sorry sir but you're going to have to undock immediately."

"Where the HELL is Bailey?"

"Sir, I'm sorry. Your ship is in a hazardous condition and needs to-"

"Get me Bailey. Now."

Tali pushed through, her heart practically lifting to her throat once she saw his face.

"Shepard!" She called out.

His tense features slowly relaxed, then changed again in happiness as he turned around and saw her face.

"Tali." He said her name almost like a sigh, wrapping her in his arms almost immediately.

"John-"

"No point in keeping it secret anymore." He whispered.

Pulling away, she motioned to the crates. "I, uh, got some simple stuff needed for the repairs but we're going to need much more to restore her to full condition." She said nervously, trying not to look at the crew.

"Thanks Tali. Oh, there's Bailey. Stay here and get started, see if the crew can help."

"Alright."

She walked over to where the Normandy was docked. It didn't look too bad, and certainly wasn't in any 'hazardous condition.' One of the fuel tanks had a rupture, the engines were damaged, and the armor had a few burns. The real work was needed inside- all the servers, navigation systems, and she still hadn't checked up on the drive core.

"Tali." A curt voice said from behind her.

"Miranda." She said, turning around.

"I was wondering what work needed to be done inside. I already have Legion fixing up the servers, and Grunt and Jack are pulling out all the damaged materials."

"Oh," Tali said, surprised. "Well I'm going to go check up on the drive core. In the meanwhile, I guess Garrus could try and see how the guns are-"

"He's already on it."

"Well I guess there's nothing more we can do until the rest of the repair things come in."

Miranda nodded. "Alright. I'll see to it for our accommodations. We'll be here for a while."

"Sure."

Tali walked past Miranda, ducking under the doorway into the Normandy. The broken monitors and destroyed wiring had already been taking out, leaving a strangely empty feeling on the ship. A lone crew member was dismantling the CIC, nodding at her as she walked by. She took the elevator one floor down, thinking of checking in on Garrus before she could start testing on the engine.

"Hello Garrus." She said, stepping through the doorway.

"Tali." He acknowledged, without even turning around.

"Everything fine up here?"

"Seems to be." he finished tapping on the console and turned around. "Looks like you've gotten cozy with Shepard."

He certainly didn't waste any time. "You were always one for subtlety, Garrus."

"The crew will be talking about for days."

"I know."

"And you know what will happen if the press gets a catch of this."

"I think we have bigger problems than _the press._"

"Just giving you a heads up. I'm the only one that's going to tell you this."

"What do you want me to do? Thank you?"

Garrus sighed. "I'm just saying. It's not going to be easy."

Tali narrowed her eyes. "I love him Garrus."

He merely looked at her.

"I don't care if I have to jump off a cliff for him. I'll do it without blinking. So I think I can take a few whispers and reporters."

"Alright." He said quietly.

She turned around to leave, but not before Garrus managed to say one last things.

"There are worse things than jumping off cliffs, Tali."

* * *

**That was foreshadowing. Later, I wil have Tali jump off a cliff. You can prevent this, however, by leaving a REVIEW. :D Cheers!**


	4. A New Kind of Hero

**Hi everyone. I'm back :)**

**Sorry for multiple delays on everything...things will be going in motion again.**

**Enjoy :) More to come soon!**

* * *

Nobody had slept for days. The food stores had been destroyed, and there was barely enough water left to drink, let alone shower. The crew of the Normandy was shabby, tired, reeking, sore, annoyed, and most of all, they were freakin' pissed.

But they were still heroes.

Within themselves.

The situation on the Citadel did not end well- Bailey tried to get the Docking command to let them stay, but the ship really _was_ in bad condition, no matter how much the crew tried to pass it off as "a few burns and cracks in the armor".

Just because the Normandy survived didn't mean she was in great shape. Communications were mainly down as well, and Shepard had to rely on an old 2165 star chart to figure out where they were going. He could barely concentrate, scenarios running in his head of what would happen between him and the council, him and Anderson, him and the Krogan…him and Tali.

"Any thoughts, commander?" Boomed a voice behind him. Shepard blinked twice, trying to focus again on the dusty map.

"I don't know Joker. This is really dated. Half the stuff on here probably isn't accurate." Shepard slurred, halfway into a yawn. Joker raised an eyebrow.

"I think you should get some sleep. I'll work it out."

Shepard smiled. "You're tired too, Joker. Sure you can manage?"

Joker rolled his eyes. "There's a reason they call me the best pilot Shepard. I'm not one of those 2010 pilots that needed eleven hours of sleep before a seven hour flight. Trust me, you're in good hands."

"All right. I'm just gonna run over some data cards. Alert me when you have a course set."

"Sure thing, commander."

Shepard hobbled to the elevator, his stomach aching with the crude bandage wrapped over it. That was another thing- they were out of medigel, and needed it fast. Mordin was doing what he could, but they had almost half the crew in critical condition. Shepard sighed. Sure, they got out of this alive, but they were still on their knees. It would be a long time before they were back on their feet, let alone with a rifle in hand, ready to take on some race of immortal machines.

Miranda had procured some technology from the collector base- not dangerous things, but weapons and ammo enhancements, things like that. He was going to go pick them up from her office, and review them in his room. It would be the first time he'd be alone in a long time. Forget the data cards- he needed to think, too. Reflect. Each time, things would get harder. Hopefully the data cards would be useful.

His torso started aching even more. Before it was dull, constant but bearable. Now, it stung, a piercing pain that lasted for a few seconds and went as quickly as it came. He rubbed the spot gingerly.

His hand went back bloody.

He looked down. It was bleeding, sure. Nothing too serious. The bandage was falling, that was all. He'd take the data cards and drop my Mordin's. Perfect.

He limped to Miranda's office, the door open. She sat at her desk, typing, eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

"Hey, Miranda," he called out. She looked up. Her eyes widened, and her jaw dropped.

"Oh my God, Shepard! You're bleeding!"

He smiled nonchalantly. "Don't worry, it's nothing-" He froze when he looked down. His entire front was covered in blood. He must have been leaving a trail, because it stuck to the bottom of his feet too.

He'd never seen this much of his own blood in his life.

He fainted.

…

His eyes slowly tore open, then closed again. Light. It was too bright. His breathing was shallow, and he couldn't feel anything besides his face. He opened his eyes again, a plain ceiling meeting his eyes.

"Seems to be waking up." A distant voice said. A vaguely familiar face floated above him.

"Shepard, try to stay calm. Don't move." A different voice said. He felt a very odd sensation of déjà vu.

"Wha-"

"Don't talk. We're getting you fixed up. Mordin's here. "

Who's Mordin? And who was talking in familiar voice?

"Wounds on stomach, chest, and legs fixed. However, odd activity in brain. Similar to patients that experience amnesia." There was a pause, and the voice turned uncertain. "However, most probable it is extra tissue after Lazarus project. Should be temporary, and not dangerous if amnesia. Prescribing two pills daily. Should be well in two days time. Will get to station now. Must restock on supplies." He heard footsteps leave quickly. He shifted, raising himself up on his elbows. He was in some medical facility. He blinked, and rubbed his head, which was gently throbbing.

"Don't get up Shepard. Try and rest. We docked in Noveria, and the crew is getting supplies. You have nothing to worry about," A gently voice spoke from behind him. He turned around, facing the back of someone with long, brown hair. He tried to talk. His throat was dry.

"Water," he croaked.

"Of course." The figure said. She turned around, handing him a glass.

Oh lord. He was in the presence of a Greek goddess.

He stared. Who was she?

She laughed uncertainly. "Anything wrong Shepard?"

"Why would it be?" He countered, not taking his eyes off the beautiful face in front of him.

She narrowed her eyes. "Why are you looking me like that?"

He glanced away. She laughed again, but it was more friendly this time. "So how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," He said swallowing the water. "Are you the doctor or nurse?"

"What?"

"Are you the doctor or nurse?"

She looked uncertain again. "Shepard?"

"Yeah, that's me. What's your name?"

She drew a blank expression for a few moments, then let out a heavy sigh, smiling sadly. "Miranda. I'm Miranda."

* * *

**I did not mean for it to turn out like this...it just struck me as i wrote the first few paragraphs XD**

**Please review...I welcome criticism. I feel like I made Miranda a bit OOC...but maybe things change over time? I don't know haha. REVIEW :D Technical details in next chapter also. :)**


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